Seahawks to release pair of Pro Bowl safeties

Long thought to be on the cap casualty radar, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs will indeed be released. Seattle is cutting both veteran safeties, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. The move will come as a standard (rather than post-June 1) release, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

The former has often been floated as a release candidate, given the nature of his contract and the injury issues that have plagued his Seattle tenure. Adams arrived amidst massive expectations following his trade from the Jets and the four-year, $70M extension that accompanied it. However, the former No. 6 pick played just 34 games in four seasons with Seattle.

That total includes one contest in 2022 and nine this past season. Adams ended the campaign on injured reserve with serious questions about his future in the Emerald City. They have now been answered; Tuesday’s move will create over $6M in cap savings while incurring a dead money charge of $20.83M. Rather than spreading the latter figure out over two seasons, the team will absorb it all at once.

Diggs was entering the final year of his contract, a $40M extension that appeared to keep him in place with the Seahawks for the long haul. None of his base salary was guaranteed so that the team will free up an additional $11M in cap space. Still, the dead money figure in Diggs’ case ($10.27M) illustrates the consequences of the investments made in both players during Pete Carroll‘s tenure at the franchise's helm.

General manager John Schneider has remained since that period, but he now has full control over roster decisions in the bid to transition under new head coach Mike Macdonald. Defensive improvement will be a key expectation for the latter given his background and the shortcomings Seattle has seen on that side of the ball in recent years. After being scheduled to account for over $20M each on the cap next season, neither Adams nor Diggs will play a role in that effort.

Adams has an advantage in terms of age (28) over Diggs (31) concerning potential market value on a deal with a new team. The former contemplated retirement following the 2022 campaign, though, and his injury history will be a major factor taken into consideration by prospective employers. A Jets reunion is not under consideration, SNY’s Connor Hughes reports. Diggs has fared far better on the health front, earning a Pro Bowl every season from 2020-22. He recorded at least four interceptions yearly, but that figure fell to one in 2023.

Regardless of where Adams and Diggs wind up, Seattle will look much different on the backend in 2024. Julian Love is under contract for one more year, but at least one more starting-caliber option will be brought in this offseason.